1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is generally in the field of cooking appliances, and, more particularly, is in the field of ovens having removable racks for supporting cookware.
2. Description of the Related Art
Typical ovens comprise an insulated oven cavity or box that is accessible by a door that enables a user to place cookware on one or more racks within the cavity. Generally, the oven racks are removable and are positionable within the cavity at a plurality of levels. The oven racks usually slide in and out of the oven so that cookware can be positioned on an extended rack and then pushed into the oven cavity on the oven rack instead of requiring the user to place his or her hands within the oven cavity and risk injury from hot components within the cavity.
A conventional oven rack comprises a sturdy frame of rod-shaped material having a plurality of smaller rod-shaped elements supported by the frame. The smaller rod-shaped elements are spaced apart by a selected distance in order to provide sufficient support for cookware placed on the oven rack while permitting conductive and convective heat to easily pass between the elements. Typical oven racks comprise stainless steel or other suitable material that is able to withstand the high temperatures within the oven cavity.
Generally, an oven rack and the oven into which it is placed are configured so that the sides of the oven rack frame rest on ledges positioned on opposing sides of the oven cavity and extending into the cavity. When the oven rack is moved with a cookware positioned on the oven rack, the oven rack may be difficult to move because of friction between the frame of the oven rack and the ledges. The lower edges of the sides of the oven rack include protrusions that engage indents in the ledges or gaps between segments of the ledges so that the oven rack may be retained in the fully inserted position and restrained in a partially extended position. The user must first lift the oven rack to disengage the protrusions from the indents or gaps in order to move the oven rack from one of the positions to the other positions.
Various configurations of oven racks and oven cavities have been tried to provide an oven rack that has reduced friction. For example, the oven rack or the oven may be configured with bearings to eliminate the sliding friction. Such configurations generally include a guide rail (or other contrivance) along the side of the oven. Such guide rails or other contrivances extend further into the oven. Furthermore, the guide rails or other contrivances include surfaces with tight corners that collect grease and other food particles that must be cleaned periodically. Such cleaning is difficult and is not always effective.